49ers vs. Bears: Live Week 13 Thread & Updates for San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers face off against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Week 13. Niner Noise has your in-game thread and blog for this contest as San Francisco looks for its second win of the season.

Amid the news quarterback Colin Kaepernick would opt out of his current contract at the end of the season, the San Francisco 49ers looked to pick up their second victory in what has been a disastrous year under head coach Chip Kelly.

San Francisco visited the Chicago Bears in Week 13, and it’s a game the Niners are favored in, according to Odds Shark.

The Bears, at 2-9 entering the game, were riddled with injuries. Quarterback Jay Cutler was out and was replaced by backup Matt Barkley. And a number of other injuries hindered the lowly Bears as they hosted the 49ers this week.

Still, the Niners weren’t exactly in a position to guarantee a victory.

Despite notably better play in recent weeks, San Francisco still had plenty of defensive question marks. And who knows if Kaepernick’s opt-out decision would loom as any sort of distraction.

There were also implications for the 2017 NFL Draft, as both teams are looking at a surefire top-five pick. The only question is how the order will pan out.

So stay with us as the Niners visit the Bears. We’ve got your live, in-game updates and comment thread at the bottom of the page.

Note: Please refresh this page periodically to view updates. And comment towards the bottom to join the discussion.

First Quarter

San Francisco opened up on offense to start the game.

A roughing-the-passer penalty and Carlos Hyde run pushed the Niners into Chicago territory. But a holding call against tight end Vance McDonald pushed the offense back. This was followed by a sack of Kaepernick, which pushed the Niners back into their own territory. And this eventually led to a San Francisco punt.

Bears running back Jordan Howard picked up Chicago’s initial first down, and that’s a matchup to watch for San Francisco’s defense.

Still, the 49ers defense managed to hold and force a punt. But another sack of Kaepernick on third down ensured San Francisco’s offense wouldn’t go anywhere.

The 49ers defense held its own the following drive, forcing a 3-and-out from the Bears.

Hyde managed to get going again on the Niners’ following drive. And that’s where the first quarter came to an end — one without a single pass completion on either side.

Second Quarter

Offensive guard Joshua Garnett’s holding penalty negated a first-down pickup by tailback Shaun Draughn.

San Francisco’s drive stalled, which forced a punt instead of a 50-yard field-goal attempt. The snow, obviously, was a major factor in this decision.

Barkley eventually completed a pass, but it was negated by a Bears penalty and eventually led to a Chicago punt. But the punt was blocked by Draughn, and the kick ended up being returned to the four-yard line by cornerback Dontae Johnson, although the Niners were flagged for excessive celebrating.

Still, a major break for San Francisco.

But the penalty ended up hurting the 49ers, as the offense couldn’t convert a first down. This led to a 31-yard field-goal attempt by kicker Phil Dawson, which was good to give the Niners the lead.

The Niners caught a break, as Draughn recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. And San Francisco was able to push into the red zone as a result.

San Francisco wasn’t able to find the end zone and settled for a 28-yard field goal from Dawson to go up 6-0.

Barkley finally completed his first pass with less than two minutes in the half. And this was followed by another as Chicago attempted to execute a two-minute drive to close out the second quarter.

A third completion pushed the Bears into 49ers territory.

San Francisco caught a bad break, when cornerback Tramaine Brock was flagged in the end zone on a very questionable pass-interference call. This led directly to a Howard 1-yard touchdown run to put Chicago ahead just before halftime.

Third Quarter

Chicago went back on offense to start the second half. Another flag on Brock assisted Chicago’s drive. And the Bears were able to push into the 49ers red zone, thanks to some key third-down conversions.

And Howard found the end zone again to help put Chicago up 14-6.

The Niners tried to respond, still having minus-14 yards of passing offense heading into the second half. This number didn’t increase, as the 49ers went 3-and-out with two incompletions on the drive.

Guess what? Chicago was right back into the Niners red zone on the arm of Barkley.

Guess what? Howard found the end zone on a tough four-yard run to put the Bears up 21-6.

Penalties continued to haunt the 49ers, as the team picked up their ninth (totaling 86 yards) to start the following drive. Tack on another Kaepernick sack, and the Niners had to punt yet again.

Oh, and San Francisco now had minus-21 passing yards at that point.

The 49ers defense managed to force a punt the following drive, but the offense answered with a punt of their own.

Fourth Quarter

Chicago’s offense continued its rhythm entering the fourth quarter, and San Francisco’s defense had no answers.

At least veteran linebacker Ahmad Brooks sacked Barkley on third down, which held Chicago to a 45-yard field goal from kicker Connor Barth.

With Kaepernick’s efforts in the tank, Kelly made the switch to quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

And Gabbert tied Kap’s completion numbers on his first throw. But that was it and the Niners had to punt yet again.

Howard managed to crest the 100-yard plateau, which marks the 10th time in 12 games the 49ers have allowed such a stat to an opposing running back.

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The Niners went back on offense after forcing a punt, but with 8:15 remaining, there simply wasn’t much San Francisco would be able to do.

49ers punt.

Even when San Francisco went back on offense, Bears pass-rusher Leonard Floyd took down Gabbert in the end zone for a safety. Yes, that happened.

With the clock winding down, the Niners would ensure their losing streak would go to 11 games. And they soundly lost to the Bears, who were equally as incompetent and riddled by significant injuries across the board.

Next: 49ers vs. Bears: Previewing Week 13 for San Francisco

Your 1-11 San Francisco 49ers, ladies and gentlemen.